Telephone networks can work on a variety of platforms and transmit information using a variety of protocols. A telephone network, for example, can send voice information with a traditional circuit-based protocol on a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or it can send voice information in discrete digital packets using an internet protocol termed “Voice over IP” (VoIP).
As VoIP has becomes more widely used, the line between traditional telephony and computer systems has become less defined. Many companies now use their local area networks (LANs) to transmit telephone signals between users on the network. The computer networks may be local area networks such as those contained within a single building, campus area networks, which may extend between several buildings, or may be a global or wide area network such as the Internet. One benefit of using a VoIP system to transmit telephone signals is the savings associated with not having to install and maintain a separate telephone system.
A general VoIP system may include two or more endpoints and a server. The endpoints allow a user to receive and transmit digital packets associated with audio signals of the user. The server helps direct and coordinate transmitting the digital packets to their correct endpoint. The server may also track network parameters to avoid network congestion and optimize use of network components.
In a network using Session Initiated Protocol (SIP), the server may measure a parameter based on the reception of calls generated based on an amount of generated traffic. Since the server's physical location may prevent the server from generating call attempts that realistically model endpoints generating the calls, the network administrator may use a SIP call generator. The SIP call generator may be connected to the network during testing. The SIP call generator sends and receives SIP calls producing network testing traffic and measuring network testing traffic data. The network testing traffic data is analyzed to determine points of congestion in the network and load capacity of the network. The network testing traffic produced by the SIP call generator may not realistically model the actual traffic of the network. Since the network testing traffic is generated from a single physical point on the network (the physical location of the call generator) the network testing traffic may not realistically simulate actual network traffic. In addition, the call generators may need to be redistributed to different physical points on the network to model additional network traffic conditions.
Accordingly, an efficient and effective method is needed for generating and testing network traffic conditions. In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a system that can generate network testing traffic that realistically models actual network traffic. It is also desirable to provide a system that may be efficiently implemented and modified to model a variety of network testing traffic conditions.